There are several free streaming sites which survive by ads. The one I am currently using is called go90 and so far it has been great. However, it is important to pay attention because I have come across several bogus sites that want to download to your computer.
That is, you type in whatever you want, Mr. Monk free streaming. A list of streaming sites pop up which may or may not actually have Monk available, but the first thing they hit you with is, "In order to use this streaming service, you must install XYZ streaming application." I never do this. Call me chicken if you want but that is too suspicious for me.
Another thing you can do is to subscribe to individual channels directly. For example History channel is $5 per month. I like History channel for Forged in Fire, Alone, and several other shows. Also, I paid FX channel because I wanted to watch American Horror Story. The key to subscribing to individual channels is to follow the shows you want to watch to make sure the season is complete. So, for example, once Forged in Fire has completed for the season, I can pay the five bucks and watch the entire season in a month, and then cancel. This way I wind up watching an entire year of some show I like, for the price of one month.
I haven't had to worry about this lately though, because I moved to a community where we all pay a group rate. Everyone here has the second tier cable package for $10 a month. That is as close to free as you can get. I get every channel of cable that I want, History, Discovery, ID, FX, Fox News, etc., for free. Even so, I still have Hulu and other specialty streaming sites.
Maybe that is the wave of the future. Maybe with the increase in streaming, cable companies with start giving it away, or make it so cheap you can't say no. They have to make money on the advertising, and they can't do that unless someone is watching. If they have to give it away to get eyeballs, maybe they will?
